The Wages of Sin
by Dr. Phoenix
Summary: Eve describes the consequences of sin for mankind. (The title is based on the verse in Romans that says the wages of sin is death.)
1. Chapter 1

Tears fill my eyes as I realize I shall never again see another sunrise. I slept past dawn so many times in the past. Now I think only of how many mornings I have wasted.

What has my life been, these many long years of endless toil? What legacy do I leave behind, I who shall be cursed by all generations for having brought death into the world? I am at fault for the tears shed by grieving families as their loved ones succumb to the punishment that befalls all mankind.

My granddaughters curse me when their pains come upon them each month, despising me all the more when their babies are born. My grandsons blame Adam for every poor harvest. It seems everyone forgets that they too have fallen prey to the adversary's deception.

I am no longer the beautiful young woman who captivated Adam at first sight, although he still looks at me as if my face has not wrinkled and my hair has not silvered. In my eyes, he will always be the handsome, muscular caretaker of the paradisal garden instead of the stooped tiller of soil, his hands withered with age.

Just as I was not the first person to live, I will not be the first person to die. After all these years, I still think daily of my son. Imagine everything that was gentle and kind, and that was my Hevel. As for Cayin, it's been so many years since I've seen him that I nearly feel we would be strangers if we were to meet, but a mother never forgets.

Adam notices me wandering alone outside our small hut. He tries to coax me back inside, but I sit entranced by the myriads of stars. I began my life surrounded by God's creation, and I will end it the same way.

I close my eyes and lean into Adam's arms a final time as memories pass before my eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

After we were driven from the Garden of Eden, I was surprised by the immediate change. As soon as we left the boundaries of the pristine garden, there was a horrendous feeling, like everything that mattered had vanished like the sun at night. I later came to understand this feeling as despair.

Furthermore, I found myself always looking around, never being able to relax. I would learn all too well that this was fear, for now we were surrounded by evil. For the first time in my short life, I shuddered.

The plants were not lush and green, as those in the garden had always been. Some had already turned yellowish-brown, a sign that they were dying. Furthermore, there were some plants that kept flowers from blooming, plants Adam would later call weeds. There were also sharp parts of plants that we came to know as thorns.

The ground was no longer soft and comfortable under our feet. It was cold, and we kept stepping on small rocks. Tiny bugs bit our ankles, causing them to itch.

"What have we done?" I asked rhetorically.

Adam sighed. It was impossible to know who we each blamed more for what had happened: ourselves or each other.

When we lay down to sleep that night, we didn't fall asleep in each other's arms, as was our custom. We each slept on our own patch of ground with space between us.

Clouds covered the stars, and there were no spectacular displays of light across the zenith. The night was dark, and I woke up several times because I was cold. When morning finally came, I was stiff and sore from having spent the night on the ground.

Adam was confused. Sleeping on the ground didn't bother the animals at all, and until now, it hadn't bothered us. Where could we sleep that wouldn't hurt us?

Seeing a bird building a nest gave Adam an idea. He spent the whole day trying to weave grasses together to build a nest for us, but as the grass dried, it was no longer comfortable to lie on, and the small bugs that lived in the grass tried to eat us alive.

Now my husband was more confused than ever. How were birds so comfortable in their nests? Why weren't we?

Adam theorized that maybe God hadn't made people to live in nests. Maybe we were supposed to live underground like the small creatures that Adam had named meerkats.

He spent all day trying to dig a hole large enough for us. Sweat poured down his face, drenching his entire body, and his hands turned red and formed blisters. Despite his efforts and his crudely formed digging tool, a sharp rock fastened to a branch with a vine, Adam had only begun to make progress by the time the sun began to set.

"There has to be a better way!" he announced the following morning. "I can barely move!"

While Adam tried to make a home for us, I tried to prepare the meals. However, fruit and grains were not nearly as plentiful as they had been in the garden, and the water was not nearly as pure or sweet.

Once when I was gathering water, I saw the animal that Adam called a beaver. I noticed it had a nice home of branches and mud. When I asked Adam, he immediately set to work to build a shelter of wood and clay. It was crude, but it seemed sturdy, and it offered a little protection from the scorching sun and the colder temperatures at night, especially when Adam wove grass together as a roof.

"I wonder what it would be like made of stone," he commented. "Lizards get their warmth on top of a stone, but they cool down by crawling under it. Maybe we would feel comfortable if our dwelling was made of stone."

I kissed him. "It's fine, Adam."

He sighed. "I suppose now I should try to find things for us to sleep on so we'll be more comfortable."

As I watched him leave our shelter, I wondered if we would get all our lessons from animals. Perhaps that was one of the reasons God created them. I wondered what other lessons were in store, yet I feared not all would be pleasant.


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes widened when I saw the sheep bleeding. It also made sounds that nearly sounded like the scream of a human. Every time its swollen sides heaved, it screamed again.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

Adam frowned. "I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like this happen before."

"Is it going to die?"

I was convinced that something terrible had happened to the ewe. The yellow and black slime that fell from her body looked nothing like normal waste, and she was obviously in great pain.

When I looked closer, I saw an extra set of hooves under her tail. Just as I was wondering when she had grown them, a head appeared. It looked like that of another sheep, but it was much smaller. The distressed ewe gave a final heave, and a hideous lump tumbled to the ground.

The lump began to move as the ewe licked it clean. To my surprise, I saw it was a baby sheep. It latched onto its mother and eagerly began twitching its tail.

"It's not eating any grass," Adam observed. "Maybe the mother's body makes a kind of food for it."

I was still startled by what I had seen. "She had a baby in her body! That must be where baby animals come from, but how did it get there?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps the actions between a male and female cause the body to make a baby."

Naturally, I was concerned. Would baby humans be born the same way? Part of my punishment for bringing sin on humanity was that I would feel great pain when I had a baby, but would it really be so horrific? I had felt pain when I had accidentally gotten a sliver in my foot once, but I had managed to deal with it. Why should I think bearing children would be any worse?

I reminded myself that there was no need for me to assume the worst. After all, I soon noticed that there were other ways to give birth than to heave a baby out of the body. Birds and lizards laid smooth, round stones. So far, none of the stones had turned into tiny creatures yet, but perhaps it took a long time.

When I first saw the stone in a bird's nest begin to crack, I was afraid that it was dying before it had the chance to develop into a baby bird. I thought to grab the stone and hold it together until it could be repaired properly, but the parents swooped at me, trying to peck me with their sharp beaks. Animals no longer treated me as a friend like they had done in the Garden of Eden.

My eyes stung, and I knew I was going to cry. I hated when my body made tears, for they also caused difficulty breathing and chest pains, but I could hardly help myself. The tiny bird was going to die.

As I watched, the stone continued to crack, and then a small, pink head popped out of it. I was perplexed, but the rest of the stone fell away, revealing the body of a featherless bird.

That was the moment I understood. The stone was not the baby creature; it was only the place where the tiny animal grew. That being, a mother sheep must have a place where a lamb grew, but apparently, that place was inside her body instead of outside.

Once again, I was upset with myself for allowing the Adversary to fool me in the Garden of Eden. If the animals still liked us, my husband and I could pick up the baby creatures and hold them under our chins, enjoying the warmth of their soft, fluffy fur.

In time, I came to understand better how new life came into being, but I noticed that some animals, like hares or small rodents, could have many babies in a short period of time, but other babies took a long time to be born, and when they arrived, there were only a few of them instead of a vast number. There could be half a dozen baby hares in one litter, but a horse would only birth one foal. When I finally figured out the reason, I wished I had never wondered.


	4. Chapter 4

While my husband worked in the field, I walked to the river. Adam made me promise to be careful and to return before the sun reached a certain angle, and I agreed.

Although we were no longer in a splendid garden, I still enjoyed seeing the blooming flowers and the variety of animals that God had created. The river was always a great place for seeing wildlife, for animals drank the water and ate the herbs and grains that grew on the banks.

I saw a herd of the striped horse that Adam had called zebras. I wondered why they needed striking black and white coloration in a world of greenery, but perhaps God had created them that way for a purpose.

Some of the zebras had foals, which I assumed had been born the same way as horses. The young zebras kicked up their back hooves and chased each other. They seemed to be having fun.

However, I noticed that the adult zebras seemed unhappy. They snorted and stamped the earth with their hooves, sniffing the air and repeatedly making their strange sound. They seemed to be looking for something, quickly but thoroughly scanning the landscape.

Suddenly, they ran, still making as much noise as possible. Clouds of dust flew from their pounding hooves. I wondered why they were playing a game when they didn't look happy.

At that moment, I saw the lionesses. They ran after the zebras as if they had a serious purpose. If this was a game, neither party seemed to enjoy playing.

One of the lionesses leaped onto a zebra's back, and three others helped her pull it down. I was puzzled. Didn't the lionesses understand that if they weren't careful, they could accidentally hurt the zebra?

The growling and roaring of the large cats made me feel cold, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I wished I were far away. Surely the zebras had this exact feeling, and that was why they fled from the lionesses.

Now I understood fear. It was an unpleasant sensation, but it was no doubt given to us by God to keep us safe from danger. I felt a pang of guilt as I realized that if not for the sin Adam and I had committed, there would be no such thing as danger, for there death would not exist. There had been no fear for any of the inhabitants of the Garden of Eden.

The pinned zebra stopped kicking, and I realized it had died. My eyes widened in horror. Why had the lionesses killed it?!

As I continued to watch, the large cats ripped the flesh from the zebra's body and ate it. When had this horror overtaken them?! In the Garden of Eden, lions had eaten only plants. What had possessed these animals to eat the flesh of the zebra?! Did all lions consume flesh, or were these lionesses simply influenced by evil?!

Then I understood. The birds had swooped at me when I watched their baby hatch. The zebras had felt fear when they scented the lionesses. Death had entered the world, so animals now killed each other to survive. The animals that could be eaten had to defend themselves against their attackers.

I wondered if there was a way to tell which animals would kill others. Pandas had sharp teeth and claws, but so far, Adam and I had only seen them eating the plant we called bamboo. Elephants were massive, but they ate only plants as well. Foxes were smaller than dogs, but I later discovered that they would eat tiny animals. Wolves looked no different than dogs, but Adam and I would lose countless sheep over the years to packs of wolves, whereas dogs would fight to protect our flocks or bark to alert us of any unusual sound that may indicate danger.

Then there were beasts that killed other creatures, but they also risked being eaten. A serpent could eat a mouse, but hawks were known to attack serpents. A bird may eat a locust, only to be killed by a cat.

A chilling thought would forever haunt my mind: Had God not given us dominion over all creatures, Adam and I may have been hunted as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Every month brought a week of torture. I would feel strong pains just below my stomach. Sometimes I was unable to walk. This ache was much worse than the minor discomfort of having a sliver in my foot.

I thought how strange it was. Not only had Adam and I brought suffering into the world through our disobedience, but there were different forms of pain. Some were little more than inconvenience, and others were brutal. I also found it horrific that nearly every species of animal in the throes of indescribable anguish was capable of making a sound that so closely resembled a human scream, as if reminding us who was at fault for all the wrongs of the recently formed world.

There was also emotional pain every month. Everything made me cry, or I felt as if a fire burned in my chest, and I wanted to scream. Never had I felt sorrow or anger in the Garden of Eden, but now they were simply part of life.

One month arrived when my body didn't have its usual course, but I still felt uncomfortable. My chest ached so dreadfully that while I was alone as Adam worked in the fields, I removed my garment. Wondering what was wrong with my body, I placed an olive in my mouth.

As soon as I tasted it, the most unusual experience began. My body began writhing on its own. Usually, whenever my body moved, it was because I willed it to do so, but now it was controlling me.

I felt a fire in my throat, and all I could think was how I had to spit out this horrible taste. What had I eaten that tasted so awful? Had I accidentally swallowed dirt?

Suddenly, my body lurched forward, and a repulsive mess fell from my mouth. It seemed there were pieces of food in it, so I supposed it must have come from my stomach. However, I didn't have time to consider it because it happened again. Not until my stomach felt completely empty did this bizarre experience end.

I never wanted to eat again. Even then, I knew it was ridiculous. All creatures must eat to survive. However, I felt as if I would never again desire food.

I cleaned up the mess as quickly as I could. I decided to say nothing about the unpleasantness to Adam. It would do no good worrying him, and he had no more idea than I what had caused this problem, let alone how to stop it.

Once again, I was completely unsure of what should be done. I had once seen a dog consume the repulsive mess of its own stomach, but should I trust the judgment of a species that sometimes tried to eat excrement? The scent of the horror on the ground was enough to convince me that I would not behave as a dog. I would rid my home of this horror and gather a bouquet of wildflowers to disguise the lingering stench.

However, as soon as I had disposed of the mess, I fell asleep. I had slept well the previous evening, but now I was exhausted again, even though I had done very little. Pushing aside such senseless feelings of tiredness, I went to pick the bouquet.

The field of flowers looked so inviting, reminding me of the day that Adam and I had first met. As my face was tenderly chiseled from Adam's bone, I began to feel a gentle warmth that I would later call sunshine. When my eyes were formed, I could see the beauty of various flowers, and when two slight dents were carved into my nose, I caught the sweetest, most delicate scents on the slight breeze, which gently began to stroke the wisps of my growing hair.

Such memories vanished at once as I turned. I hadn't realized I was lying down in the field, and I certainly hadn't meant to fall asleep. Now my face was reddened from the glare of the sun's heat, and my entire body itched from being consumed by myriads of tiny insects.

I silently prayed this mysterious ailment would soon end, but for weeks, I had difficulty eating, and I feel asleep too easily. However, I noticed I was gaining weight. My flat waist was beginning to grow.

Perhaps I had eaten something wrong. That would explain my stomach illness. Could something still be alive inside my body? Is that why it was growing?

For reasons I couldn't quite understand, I was beginning to hug myself, as if trying to guard my growing waist from the evils of the outside world. Perhaps I had some manner of instinct, like the animals that were once my companions. I could only pray that in time, the reason for my illness and strange behavior would be revealed.


End file.
